UNSDI HUCO Newsblog Statistics in October 2007

This newsblog was visited between October 1-31, 2007 from 56 countries. Breakdown: Hungary 16,8% USA 15,9% Germany 9,3% Italy 6,7% The Netherland 4,0%

During the last 12 months www.unsdi.hu was visited by 4533 people. The illustration shows the global geographical distribution.

2nd Meeting of the National Commitee on the International Year of Planet Earth

Preparation of the Hungarian Opening of the International Year of Planet Earth

The meeting Chaired by Dr. Károly Brezsnyánszky was hosted by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

HUNAGI and five of its member institutes were represented including MTA TAKI, MÁFI, GGKI, MTA FTI and BME.

Earth Observation on the former space flights and ISS

Images: HUNAGI Visuals resource, 2007

Prof. Dr. Ernst Messerschmidt of the University of Stuttgart, former Astronaut. Image: HUNAGI Visuals resource, 2007

German Astronaut in Budapest 29 - 30 October.

ELTE Chair of Cartography and Geoinformatics (Member of HUNAGI) hosted the meeting devoted to the presentation of Prof. Messerschmidt. Hungarian Astronaut Bertalan Farkas also introduced a movie on the ISS. HUNAGI SG was invited by Prof. Dr. László Zentai of ELTE. Former Rector of the ELTE Prof. Dr. István Klinghammer and Dr. Gábor Gercsák were also present.

Schocking imageries were shown on the Aral-Sea. Due to the intensive irrigation of new plantations along the Sir-Darja, the Aral Sea experienced dramatic changes in size of its water surface.

Aral Sea as seen from the orbit by the Astronaut Messerschmidt in 1985. Photos taken on the projected images of Prof. Dr. Messerschmidt

UNSDI HUCO activities reported by the EUROGI EMM in Lisbon

Bruce McCormack, Convener of the Internatinal Affairs WAG, manager of the networking programmes focusing on Africa and Eastern Europe in action. Image: HUNAGI Visuals resource, 2007
Report with references will come soon. Photographic coverage is downloadable at http://hunagi.blogspot.com

ESRI Hungary Annual User Conference addressed also UNSDI in the keynote speech

Text will come soon.
Visit also http://hunagi.blogspot.com for further details.

UN/China Regional UN-SPIDER Workshop in Shenzen, China

From our daily mail. David Stevens wote from the UN-SPIDER of UN OOSA, Vienna:
Dear Colleagues, This is the last announcement for the "United Nations/China RegionalUN-SPIDER Workshop: Building Upon Regional Space-based Solutions forDisaster Management and Emergency Response" in Shenzhen, China, 03 to 05December 2007. Deadline for receiving your application has been extended to 31 October 2007. Please find attached the Information Note. Additional information can be found on our website: http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/unspider/workshops.html
The venue of the workshop will be at the superb MING WAH International Convention Center, Shenzhen, China. For self-funded participants the room rates are: Standard Room (single/double): RMB380/room/night (breakfast included). Deluxe rooms and Deluxe Suites are a bit more expensive. Check out: http://www.mhctr.com
The general objective of this workshop is to present the current status ofspace technology for disaster management and emergency response within the region;
Discuss the UN-SPIDER awareness raising strategy proposal buildingupon examples of similar successful strategies carried out by other organisations within the region;
Discuss the development of country profiles, user input for the establishment of a UN-SPIDER Knowledge Portaland capacity building needs in the region;
Define ways and means ofefficiently coordinating and interacting with National Focal Points and theNetwork of Regional Support Offices;
Reflect on the best concepts for delivering support to both national activities and to national planning andpolicies, that consider the use of space-based technologies, and;
Review and discuss activities to be carried out by National Focal Points with the support from UN-SPIDER and the Network of Regional Support Offices.
Participation is limited to 40 decision-makers and senior experts representing the following group: UN-SPIDER National Focal Points and experts from the Network of Regional Support Offices in East and Southeast Asia; Other national and regional institutions responsible for providing disaster management support; National and regional institutions responsiblefor building capacity and promoting the use of space-based technologies; UN agencies and NGOs involved in disaster mitigation and relief; Space agencies, and ; Academic institutions; Within the limited financial resources available, a number of selected international participants, representing institutions from East and Southeast Asia, will be offered financial support to attend this International UN-SPIDER Workshop.
If you have any additional questionsplease contact Mr. Georg Magerl (e-mail: georg.magerl@unvienna.org). Within its plan of work, UN-SPIDER is organizing a series of workshops and expert meeting bringing together experts and relevant professionals fromaround the world with the aim of discussing and shaping the future activities of this new programme. The latest information and materials related to these activities are available online at http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/unspider/workshops.html (Notice of the blogger: the file is downloadable at : http://www.fomi.hu/HUNAGI/pdf/2004/Shenzhen.pdf )
Best regards, David Stevens Programme Coordinator UN-SPIDER United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs Vienna - AustriaTel. ++43-(1)-26060-5631 - Skype: tazarkountFAX ++43-(1)-260607-5631 - E-Mail david.stevens@unvienna.org

Presentations of the HUNAGI Forum on GIS/GI and eGovernance are available here soon

At the HUNAGI Forum 2007 14 presentations have been delivered. The majority of them are available in digital form for the public here soon.

Spatial data infrastructure emphasized at WGISS-24

Introducing the Global Landcover change monitoring programme of NASA. Image: HUNAGI Visuals resource, 2007

After the session devoted to the German achievements in Earth Observation, the WGISS-24 was discussed the contributions to GEOSS. Among the Liasions' reports to WGISS an update also on GSDI Association was given mentioning the regional and local level activities too as example. UN SDI strategy and HUCO was mentioned in this context raising awareness on the UNGIWG Meeting decision scheduled to be made in Bangkok in November on the road map.
The presentation is downloadable here:
www.fomi.hu/hunagi/pdf/2004/GSDIliasionReport.pdf

CEOS WGISS-24 Meeting started yesterday

Ivan Petteville, Chair of the CEOS WG on Information Systems and Services opened the Meeting yesterday morning. Image: HUNAGI Visuals resource, 2007
Actually, Ian Petiteville is also Co-chair of the GEOSS Task Group on Architecture together with Alessandro Annoni, Head of the SDI Unit at IES of DG JRC.
For more news on the event please visit http://hunagi.blogspot.com
Photographic coverage of the meeting

Albert A. Gore and the UN IPCC share the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize

This highest acknowledgement for the researchers of Global Change gives also impetus for the communities working on enabling technologies and information services
The interdiscliplinary communities of this latter on global (GSDI), regional (EUROGI) and national level (eg. HUNAGI) play important role
For more news in the subject and its HUNAGI UNSDI HUCO relevance please visit our newsblog at http://hunagi.blogspot.com
Just travelling to the site of the 24th CEOS Meeting of the Working Group Information Systems and Services held in Oberpfafenhofen on the premises of the German Aerospace Center a stopover was made in Seewalchen am Attersee to make this spot on the blog.

More news on the Earth Observation community latest achievement in line with the GEO Action Plan and their relevance with the global, regional and local spatial data infrastructure will be published here asap

Interesting addendum was just received from Debbie Gelbard from Jerusalem referring to the following link:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=email_en&refer=home&sid=addY34LZbj6M

12th GIS Workshop in Cluj-Napoca with Hungarian guest speakers

Prof. Dr. Márton Gyárfás, Scientific Director of Geotop SRL and Dr. Rezső Berencei, Managing Director of HUNGIS Foundation in the break. Image: HUNAGI Visuals resource, 2007

GIS Workshop achieved international acknowled-gement

74 participants attend the Opening Session of the 3-day Workshop devoted to GIS applications and related enabling services.

The invited presentation given by HUNAGI representative gave a three level roundview on the SDI-related networking and best practices. GSDI, EUROGI and the project managements of Humboldt and eSDI-Net+ provided customized information for the speaker and exact references enabled for the audience to encourage further readings. Also UNSDI was mentioned with the notice, in November 2007 the UNGIWG will make important decisions influencing the follow-on activities of the National Coordination Offices already formed in 4 European countries. The speech was consecutively translated to Romanian by Prof. Dr. Sándor Selinger, Director of the Dennis Gabor Foundation.

The event is hosted by the fine building of the Municipality building of the County Kolozs. Image: HUNAGI Visuals resource, 2007

Photographic portfolio of the event will be available soon at

http://picasaweb.google.com/hunagi.hu/Cluj-Napoca

as well as

http://picasaweb.google.com/gabor.remetey/Cluj